In the midst of Festival madness, I braved an attempt at a social life and enjoyed a romantic dinner with one of my best friends from college. With both of our schedules in utter disarray, we were looking forward to a well-deserved meal at Bencotto’s Italian Kitchen in Little Italy.

With an extensive and truly rustic, Italian menu, Bencotto definitely challenged our self-control and will power.  I’m embarrassed to admit that we passed on the vino and jumped directly to the appetizer menu, but a girl’s got to eat.   We settled on two appetizers: (but only after confirming with our trusty server) the Regional Cheese Platter and the Erbazzone, a festive dish made with spinach, cheese and pastry dough pie.  We plowed through both appetizers like we hadn’t eaten in days.  C’est la vie.  The variety on the cheese and fruit plate was phenomenal. Pure and clean flavors, I felt like I was on a magical blind-tasting carpet ride. But hands down, the Erbazzone was our favorite. Rich, creamy and packed with a delicious savory bite, this quiche-like slice rolled us right into flavor town and we never looked back.

Kendyl had her heart set on one entrée from the get-go, gorgonzola stuffed gnocchi.  Six disc shaped gnocchi came to the table covered in a simple marinara sauce. Not the typical gnocchi I’m used to, but it was a nice twist on a classic. Over all, the dish was good, but the appetizers had set such high expectations, that this dish just didn’t cut it for me. We polished it off, regardless.

We were stuffed, to say the least. But saying no to dessert was not an option. Say hello to my Italian friend, the cannoli. Three small, but beautifully plated cannolis greeted our table. Pistachio, chocolate chip and espresso were the selected flavors that finished off our culinary trip to Italia. With a philosophy of great service, outstanding flavor and manageable portion sizes, Bencotto definitely knows how to Mangia Poco Ma Bene (eat little but well).

Earlier this month, Ken and I partnered up to co-lead a presentation at the International Association of Exhibitors and Events’ (IAEE) annual meeting and exhibition in Las Vegas on how to assemble the building blocks of a successful sponsorship program with experiential marketing at its core. It is not a new trend, in fact one look at the agency landscape will deliver a vast assortment of E.M. specialists who have been crafting national client brand strategies of this nature for some time.  What is new and still relatively untapped, is the event producer’s success in building venues that show these brands and agencies just how vital activation within your event can be to their initiative within your market.

It’s simple really.  If you know the value of your event, can deliver a highly qualified audience, and can prove it to your prospect then you have a case.  The truth is, you have something they want and need, they just don’t know it yet.  You have a built in venue that can save them on their E.M.’s operational costs.  You have a built in team of logistics experts who can help them figure out pesky details like hooking into the right power source and parking for their refrigerated tour truck.  You have access to public relations assets that are already associated with your event.  You have the ability to partner these brands with other sponsors in your event, creating synergy, extending their reach and saving on their bottom line.  Most importantly however, you have access to a large mass of eager and enthusiastic potential customers, aka your attendees, who are the target of your prospect’s entire campaign.

Before you get there however, you must understand this movement and its impact on consumers and key influencers across the nation.  A good resource to get you up to speed is Event Marketer.  Pay attention to how brands create a connection with their target by allowing them to experience the product in a way that makes them understand its fit within their life.  You will see a common thread.  Successful E.M. programs give targets the ability to “touch it, feel it, taste it, play it, hear it, or use it,” and ultimately remain in touch with the consumer in a relevant way.

Ask yourself before you approach an agency or a brand who has an E.M. strategy in place, is your event creating an environment for brands to activate within your venue?  Have you thought through how you can add value to the campaign?  What are you doing to help the brand come to life?

As brands begin to integrate experiential line items to their budget allocations, savvy event producers will train their sales staff to think along these lines. Those who do will see reward in their sponsorship and exhibit space revenues.  Want to get started?  Here are a few things you can do  to start the year off right:

1.    Build an E.M. database

2.    Make the introduction and add to external communications

3.    Visualize their brand/ client’s presence and develop sponsorship storyboard before going in for the pitch

4.    Subscribe to industry resources to track trends: BrandWeek, PR Week, Event Marketer, IEG

5.    Use social media to track and find leads.

By: Jessica Gago

There’s nothing quite like your birthday week.  Mine is an excuse to give myself unlimited permission to eat out as often as possible, and this year was no exception!  My birthday was the perfect time to try out Urban Solace, a restaurant in San Diego’s trendy North Park neighborhood that I had been dying to check out.  Urban Solace is known first and foremost for their mouth-watering food and drink menu, and second for utilizing quality products across the board, from Specialty Produce’s fresh and organic veggies and hormone and anti-biotic free meats to a selection of sustainable, organic and bio-dynamic wines.

My friend Christina and I started the night out right with a couple of cocktails. Lately, I have noticed a trend towards cocktails that use fresh herbs as the main ingredient, so I opted for the Herbacious Cooler, a blend of tarragon vodka, fresh basil, tarragon-infused syrup, fresh lemon and lemon-lime soda float.  Christina ordered the Golden Mule, a concoction of saffron vodka, spiced ginger syrup, lime and ginger beer.  My drink was fresh and herby, just as I had imaged, but with a refreshing hint of sweetness that didn’t overpower.

After drinks, we set our sights on the appetizer menu and decided to order a cheese board with a trio of cheeses, including a soft goat cheese with black truffle shavings, a semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese, and a firm cheese rubbed with coffee and French lavender.  I loved the cheeses, but was especially fond of the soft goat cheese.  I’m a sucker for anything with truffle oil, so naturally that was my favorite.  The cheeses came with a side of candied pecans and melt-in-your-mouth Syrah-figgy-currant compote and anise bread.

For my main course, I ordered their braised Brandt Farms beef cheeks with smoked tomato jam, mustard and garlic jus, and sweet potato mash.  I rarely order beef when I eat out, but given the special occasion and the sweet potato mash that accompanied it, the choice was a no-brainer.  I’m also familiar with Brandt beef, who was a sponsor at last year’s Celebrity Chef Luncheon, where I enjoyed their beef cheeks for the first time.  The beef cheeks were so tender they literally fell apart with my fork.  The sweet potato mash was equally delicious and paired perfectly alongside the sweetness of the smoked tomato jam. It’s rare when you come across a meal so great that it leaves a permanent impression in your brain—this was one of those meals.

My experience at Urban Solace was nothing short of fantastic.  While San Diego may not have the reputation of San Francisco or New York City, there is a thriving culinary scene in our city and it’s great to experience and appreciate the culinary talent in San Diego.

Chantel Baylor joins the team as Junior Account Representative and is responsible for expanding the exhibitor base for the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival, in addition to the Specialty Oils & Vinegars Pavilion at The Gourmet Experience.  Chantel is a recent California State Fullerton Grad with a dual degree in Advertising and African American Studies.

Chris Finn joins Fast Forward Event Productions as Account Representative. A former sales and marketing executive at SanDiego.com and Trilogy PR, Chris joins Fast Forward’s Gourmet Experience team, building the exhibitor base for its cooking and home entertaining showcases in San Diego and San Francisco.

Jennifer Simmons, a recent graduate of UC San Diego, joins Fast Forward as Event Assistant. Jennifer originally interned with the company in July of 2010, where she served as Volunteer Coordinator for the 7th Annual San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival. She is part of the launch team for Treat du Jour, a daily gourmet treats and discoveries newsletter, as well as manages all volunteers and coordinates all talent booked for events.

Jen Monclus joins Fast Forward as Account Representative, specializing in exhibitor relations for The Gourmet Experience events in San Francisco and San Diego. Jen has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Arizona State University and an extensive background in sales and staffing. As an account representative, she is focusing on the development of key pavilions relating to industry micro-trends within the culinary solutions and specialty food categories.

Veronika Romero joins Fast Forward’s event team as Event Assistant.  As a recent graduate of California State University San Marcos majoring in Communications, Veronika brings a dynamic perspective and an outgoing personality to the team.  In addition to assisting with event operations and logistics, Veronika coordinates all brand and exhibitor participation within Fast Forward’s productions.

To learn more about Fast Forward Event Productions and its services, visit Fast Forward’s website at www.fastforwardevents.com.

During their recent mid-year meeting in Washington, D.C. on June 1-4, Fast Forward Event co-owners and producers of the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, Ken Loyst and Michelle Metter were among the attendees and featured speakers. Leading with a presentation on “Getting The Most From Your Event’s Economic Impact”, Loyst and Metter explored what economic impact is, and how it can affect the success of your event. One of the key messages communicated was that by establishing your economic impact, event producers are able to solidifying a benchmark, increase negotiation capabilities, increase an event’s asset value to existing and potential sponsors, fund new programs, increase marketing partnerships, and provide new public relations channels. This, paired with understanding funding trends, can help event production companies tap into funding sources and ultimately achieve a return on investment and an overall successful event that provides interesting content for attendees and creates value for sponsors and exhibitors.

To receive a copy of the Loyst and Metter’s presentation, please contact Fast Forward Event Productions at 619-312-1212 or email romero@fastforwardevents.com.

By: Joyce Agagas

While my colleagues enjoy these restaurant reviews with their significant others, I– of course– battled the norm and upped the-typical-girls’-night ante with my best friend, Amy.  We ventured out to the trendy and buzz worthy Whisknladle in the heart of Downtown La Jolla.

After a long day at work, there was no way we could resist the enticing wine and cocktail list, so we ordered up and began to study the menu.  Admittedly, I’m a sucker for cheese and meat boards, so Whisknladle’s Cutting Board (house cured meats, artisan cheeses, mustards, spreads & pickles) definitely caught my eye.  They offer the board in either half or full size, and we decided to play the conservative route and order half…  I might still be kicking myself for that one.

The entire menu is absolutely drool worthy, but I just kept going back to the Steak Frites (all natural prime 12 oz. hanger steak, house made fries and bone marrow butter).  This was obviously meant to be. The tangy bone marrow butter and juicy steak was like a match made in carnivorous heaven, and I was actually lucky enough to enjoy this meal the very next day since my birdlike eating tendencies yielded more than half of the dish being left on my plate (Note: I love good food déjà vu aka epic leftovers). Amy chose the WNL Burger (artisan cheeses, house cured bacon, caramelized onions and fried egg), which could also feed a small village.  While the burger looked, smelled and tasted absolutely amazing, I unquestionably won the menu ordering competition.  (Admit it, Ripp–  You totally had food envy.)

What’s a girls’ night without dessert?  Not a good one.  Even though I was completely stuffed with a full to-go box in tow, it is absolutely impossible for me to say no to dessert.  Ever.  I was immediately intrigued by the Kitchen Sink Cookie ice cream sandwiches (Cookies made in-house and ingredients include everything but the kitchen sink.  Seriously.  Try it.), and that was all she wrote.  We later thanked the chef by keeling over in near-food-coma bliss, and that was the end of our foodventure.  Questions?  Don’t ask me, just go to Whisknladle and figure it out for yourself.  You will not be disappointed!  www.whisknladle.com

By: Margaret Bernier

My husband and I recently moved back to San Diego after living in the Bay Area for 10 years.  Everyone knows San Francisco is a haven for foodies who love to dine out and enjoy eclectic restaurants and wine bars.   Now that we are back in San Diego, we love trying hip new restaurants that remind us of the excellent eateries up north.

Last week we tried Avenue 5 Restaurant & Bar.  The restaurant is located in the quaint and friendly neighborhood of Bankers Hill with plenty of parking nearby.  The drink menu consists of boutique wines, beers and craft cocktails that are creative, refreshing and delicious. We ordered drinks and appetizers while we debated what to order for the main course.  If you’re not a big fan of sweet cocktails than I highly recommend the Deville Martini.  It’s made with vodka, fresh raspberries and lime juice, which makes it very tart.

For appetizers, we ordered the mussels and crispy calamari; both excellent choices.  The mussels were a delicious light appetizer that had a slight kick from the diced jalapeños mixed in the broth.  The calamari was excellent with a spicy arrabbiata sauce mixed with sweet aioli; great for dipping.  For entrees, my husband ordered the halibut with tempura prawns, mussels (yes, more mussels) and diablo sauce.   I ordered the filet, which was accompanied by shoestring truffle fries and a béarnaise sauce.   Everything we ordered was delicious and well presented.  Needless to say, we ordered too much food and didn’t save room for dessert, although the selections were hard to refuse.

I would recommend Avenue 5 to anyone in the mood for a slight twist on modern American Cuisine.  The atmosphere was comfortable, casual and intimate, and the staff was very friendly and energetic.  We will definitely go back, perhaps next time for brunch.  Thanks Ave. 5!

By: Veronika Romero

Abraham Lincoln once said, “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

This month I decided to give good old Abe’s quote a go and indulge my inner foodie at the Lincoln Room in the San Diego Gaslamp. Located across the street from Horton Plaza on Fourth Avenue, the Lincoln Room’s prime location makes it a great place for post-work cocktails or a tasty dinner. I decided to visit on a Wednesday night thinking it wouldn’t be too crowded and to my pleasant surprise there was a wonderful mix of people from all ages.

Upon walking into the Lincoln Room, my boyfriend and I instantly felt transported to a time when people built their own log cabins and made fresh apple pies for an after supper dessert. The woodsy décor, with huge log pillars and dimly lit lanterns hanging from the ceiling, created an old fashioned American ambiance. The bar area even paid homage to Abraham Lincoln with a penny covered bar and lit up sign hanging above the bar in bright white letters that read “LINCOLN”.

After getting seated and checking out the menu, we decided to order a few drinks that suited our palettes. I ordered a Mule and my boyfriend ordered an Abe’s Amber Ale. As you can probably guess my boyfriend’s beer was an amber ale that he described as a smooth, dark, and robust amber. He’s not a personal fan of hoppy beers and the Abe’s Amber had just the perfect combination of maltiness and hops. As for my Mule, it was probably the best cocktail I have had in a very long time. As I took a sip, I tasted the sweet ginger beer and then was hit with the perfect balance of lime, vodka, and bitters. If you’re not a fan of sweet cocktails and want something unique to drink, I highly recommend the mule.

We decided to skip appetizers and headed straight for main courses and dessert instead. I ordered the Steak Diane which was medallions of beef tenderloin, crimini mushrooms and a Dijon cognac sauce. My boyfriend ordered the Buttermilk Chipotle Fried Chicken Breast with sharp cheddar southern grits. Needless to say, both entrees were absolutely divine. My beef was beautifully presented and literally fell apart as I ate it because it was so juicy and tender. It came with delicately seasoned vegetables and a mushroom sauce that I am still trying to get the recipe for! My boyfriend’s entrée paid tribute to delicious southern inspired cooking and we especially got a kick out of the cheesy grits. For dessert, we shared a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie a la mode that came out on the tiniest skillet I have ever seen! The cookie was of course scrumptious and a wonderful way to end a night on the town.

All in all, The Lincoln Room is a great addition to San Diego dining. I love how it mixes a homey southern hospitality environment with a contemporary and rustic ambiance. For more information on The Lincoln Room, visit www.thelincolnroomsd.com.

By: Mary Crocker

I love trying out new restaurants.  In fact, my fiancé and I had made it a new initiative to dine out at one new restaurant each month, as a way to spice up our routine and have an excuse to visit the awesome culinary hot spots of America’s Finest City.

Thanks to Fast Forward, we visited Jayne’s Gastropub for the month of April.  What a great place!  I have never heard about the restaurant before.  In fact, I have never eaten at a restaurant in North Park.  But after our dinner there last week, Jayne’s is definitely a restaurant worth visiting.

We started out with a couple of their freshly-made cocktails.  I went for the Hemingway (Aged White Rum, fresh lime and grapefruit juice, maraschino liqeur, Lucardo Maraschino cherries) and Matt picked the Blood Orange Margarita, at my request.  So good, but who doesn’t like a great cocktail.  The waitress informed us that each cocktail tastes a bit different, as the blood oranges are squeezed fresh to make each drink.

As an appetizer, we opted for the Crostini with White Bean Puree.  I read on Yelp that this dish was a winner, so how could we not order it?  Thank you Yelp, because the crostini was perfect to start our meal and to get our stomachs ready for the main course.

We ordered two entrees and decided just to split them between us.  At the suggestions of the waitress, we choose their signature burger and one of the specials for the evening, the Shepard’s Pie.  The burger was VERY tasty and made from quality Niman Ranch ground beef and topped with Vermont Cheddar, pickled onions, and garlic aioli.  Yum!  The Shepard’s Pie, which took about 40 minutes to cook, was made with lamb, béchamel, English peas, carrots, and covered in mashed potatoes.  So amazing!

No dessert, as we were too full from dinner, but what a great meal.  So many positives about the restaurant:
•    Very friendly and attentive service
•    Great recommendations on the entrees
•    Beautiful patio with nice music choice
•    Delicious food and cocktails

Thank you for a wonderful evening, Jayne!  We will be back for more.

The Astor Ballroom at the New York Marriott Marquis was flush with on-site activation as brands power-networked their way through conversations with 60+ high profile members of the media.  From trampolines and a talking fridge, to the Dr. Smith’s “Sweet Relief” experience, Editor Showcase: Modern Moms elevated dialogue and brought brands to life among this collection of market influencers.

Nestle Toll House handed out bags of cookies to attending media, which itself was enticing.  To draw press to their booth, Toll House set up a special fan that blew the delicious smell of freshly baked cookies into the open air of the event space.

DOVE® Ice Cream passed out ice cream bars made of rich dark chocolate with a creamy vanilla center.  To help brand their space and promote their new PR campaign “the perfect marriage of ice cream and chocolate,” DOVE created a mini wedding reception, complete with a dessert table, wood dance floor, and guest book.

Glacéau vitaminwaterzero and Zevia were just two of the brands sampling their newest flavors in low calorie drinks.  vitaminwaterzero decided to forego their table at the Showcase and brought in a customized branded bar from which to serve their drink samples.

While many of the participating brands sampled food and beverage, companies such as Euro-Pro were showcasing its newest Ninja Kitchen system and Shark’s Professional Steam Pocket Mop and Press & Refresh Garment Care System.  The Little Giant Ladder Systems brought in its line of new patented Select Step™ Adaptive Stepladders that easily adjusts to a 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-feet, and can be safely used on stairs or sloping ground.  Representatives arranged the ladder to rest on the table to show off the creative design of its ladders.

Seattle’s Best Coffee made quite a statement at the event with their 8-foot talking red refrigerator filled with iced canned lattes, the company’s latest innovation to help simplify the premium coffee experience for consumers.

Finally, no mom-focused event would be complete without kids play equipment, and what better activity to show off than a child’s favorite – the trampoline.

Springfree™ Trampoline, specifically engineered to avoid major risks typically associated with trampolines by replacing the traditional springs, frame and ridged enclosure, with a soft-edge and flexible enclosure, showed off the one-of-a-kind design at the Showcase and had representatives jumping on the play structure the entire evening.

In an effort to make a “sweet” impression on media, Dr. Smith’s diaper ointment built a “Sweet Relief” lounge that acted as a safe haven for media to relax and soak in the scenery on plush couches and chairs.  The branded area was replete with Vodka Thyme Lemonade cocktails, cake pops and cupcakes, and goodie bags filled with basic conveniences such as water bottles, flip flops, and umbrellas.

To learn more about Fast Forward’s production of Editor Showcase: Modern Moms as well as future Editor Showcase events, visit www.editorshowcase.com.